'The[maintenance] grants will be replaced by loans, which will be introduced from 2016/17. They will have to be repaid under the same terms as existing tuition fee loans once a graduate earns over £21,000 a year. The maximum value of the loan will be increased to £8,200, but graduates will have to pay it all back.

Universities will also be allowed to increase £9,000-a-year tuition fees in line with inflation as long they are providing what Osborne described as “high-quality teaching”, further raising debt for graduates and opening the way for variable fees at different institutions.'

Meh. The vast majority of people don't pay off their tuition loans so it's still essentially free money. 25-30 years is not enough time for all but the highest earners to pay back the entirety of their loans.

(Original post by MJK91)
Meh. The vast majority of people don't pay off their tuition loans so it's still essentially free money. 25-30 years is not enough time for all but the highest earners to pay back the entirety of their loans.

I wouldn't say the highest of earners. Perhaps it is a small number of the population's workforce, but a larger proportion of graduates do have higher lifetime earnings and are likely to pay it off.
Being in the career path we are in, we're one of the few courses most likely to pay off our collective debts.

(Original post by Rose256)
Hey guys,
I know the UKCAT cut off scores change every year but roughly what's the minimum you can get to secure an interview?

It's almost always circa 700 average (so 2800+) for Warwick. This year was slightly lower, and last year slightly higher. To be 'safe' (pending a catastrophically uncertain year) you'll need around 740 average (2960+) for other schools. Certain one's are notorious for needing higher scores, like Kings and Newcastle. Barts probably falls between Warwick and Newcastle somewhere.

In a nutshell, the fewer the places available the higher score you'll likely need to be competitive.

(Original post by Zorg)
I wouldn't say the highest of earners. Perhaps it is a small number of the population's workforce, but a larger proportion of graduates do have higher lifetime earnings and are likely to pay it off.
Being in the career path we are in, we're one of the few courses most likely to pay off our collective debts.

I actually read an article a few weeks ago about research stating doctors are the least likely to pay off their student debts.

(Original post by Zorg)
I wouldn't say the highest of earners. Perhaps it is a small number of the population's workforce, but a larger proportion of graduates do have higher lifetime earnings and are likely to pay it off.
Being in the career path we are in, we're one of the few courses most likely to pay off our collective debts.

I'd say that us, as potential graduate entry applicants we probably won't ever pay it off. I already have somewhere in the region of £30k debt anyway, that added onto another 4 years of uni...looking at maybe £60/70 in total if not more..

But it doesn't bother me, I'm already paying back my first loan at a rate of £80 ish a month, while that £80 would be nice to have its not breaking the bank and I'm not a particularly high earner at all.

(Original post by adamphilpot)
I'd say that us, as potential graduate entry applicants we probably won't ever pay it off. I already have somewhere in the region of £30k debt anyway, that added onto another 4 years of uni...looking at maybe £60/70 in total if not more..

But it doesn't bother me, I'm already paying back my first loan at a rate of £80 ish a month, while that £80 would be nice to have its not breaking the bank and I'm not a particularly high earner at all.

Even if you're a consultant earning £71k, you're only paying back £360 a month from a roughly £4000 per month salary. Not bad really!

Anyone else here struggling with the timing for the quantitative reasoning section of the UKCAT? I'm finding it difficult to take in all the data and then calculate the answer (using the calculator) in time. Any tips?

(Original post by entwinedflames)
Anyone else here struggling with the timing for the quantitative reasoning section of the UKCAT? I'm finding it difficult to take in all the data and then calculate the answer (using the calculator) in time. Any tips?

I advise to just read the question and then the relevant data as usually you can usually answer them without reading everything.

And always being up the calculator at the start of every question ready.

(Original post by entwinedflames)
Anyone else here struggling with the timing for the quantitative reasoning section of the UKCAT? I'm finding it difficult to take in all the data and then calculate the answer (using the calculator) in time. Any tips?

Systematic approach. Is it really wordy? Flag it and come back later. If you do nothing else, do that. It is impossible for most people to answer all questions in a stepwise fashion. You will need to recognise the ones you can't do quickly.

Are you confident with the skills required for the question within 10-15 seconds (e.g. simple multiplications, conversions etc)? Answer those quickly. Try your best to focus on not using a calculator when you practice simple questions. There are numerous techniques you can use to do quick addition/subtraction/multiplication/division so I'd get used to them ASAP, and use the whiteboard. Quicker than opening the calculator in a lot of instances!

On the longer ones, open the calculator immediately. Have your pen handy and make notes of calculation steps as you do them.

Thanks so much for the advice. I'll try using pen and paper in combo with the calculator and flagging the ones which just look too complex off the bat. Getting a very average score on this section and it's very frustrating!

(Original post by entwinedflames)
Thanks so much for the advice. I'll try using pen and paper in combo with the calculator and flagging the ones which just look too complex off the bat. Getting a very average score on this section and it's very frustrating!

I thought it'd be my worst but it ended up being one of my strongest, so don't worry too much. Just make sure you're very very familiar with how to perform simple calculations. If you can complete everything on Bitesize with ease then you'll be fine really.

(Original post by MJK91)
I thought it'd be my worst but it ended up being one of my strongest, so don't worry too much. Just make sure you're very very familiar with how to perform simple calculations. If you can complete everything on Bitesize with ease then you'll be fine really.

Good luck!

I saw you mentioned bitesize? You mean the BBC bitesize for maths? At GCSE level?

I'm struggling with QR and timing a lot, so I'll do anything to boost my chances!

(Original post by ohmyBEAUT)
I saw you mentioned bitesize? You mean the BBC bitesize for maths? At GCSE level?

I'm struggling with QR and timing a lot, so I'll do anything to boost my chances!

Yup... Just use any mental maths programs and get your mental maths to scratch you'll be fine! The questions are like John has a farm and wants to fence it, the farm is 1.5km by 2km, how many meters of fence will he need?

Trust me i had to use BBC bitesize chemistry in medical school its a life saver... #noshame

How much do they focus on work experience for graduate entry?
I've only got 6 months at a care home (which I did back in 2013) as well as shadowing a plastic surgeon and I may be shadowing another doctor soon. Would this be enough? It's just that I know others who have way more work experience and I've struggled enough already to get the shadowing experience.
Not done the UKCAT yet, but did it a couple of years ago and got 707.5 so hopefully that will run smoothly again...
Also, I'm only being predicted a 2.1...
Cheers!